Beth Fish Reads

22 February 2019

February's blue skies can't fool me; I know there are plenty of cold
and snowy days ahead. I'm not complaining (too much) though, because
indoor living means more time for reading. A blustery late-winter night
provides just the right atmosphere for a spine-chilling thriller or
mystery. Here are five of this month's thrillers that might have escaped
your attention. It's never too late to give them try.

The Winter Sister by Megan Collins
(Atria, Feb. 5): When Sylvie moves back home to tend to her sick
mother, she is confronted with the past she's tried to forget. About 16
years earlier her sister went out on a forbidden date and was never seen
alive again. The killer remains identified, but as Sylvie settles back
into her childhood house, she discovers secrets and unearths new
information. Among the suspects is the male nurse who is currently
working at the cancer center where Sylvie's mother is being treated. Opening line: When they found my sister's body, the flyers we'd hung around town were still crisp against the telephone poles.

In the Dark by Cara Hunter
(Penguin Books, Feb. 19): Detective Inspector Adam Fawley is called to
an Oxford house where a woman and child are found locked in the basement
and near death. The woman is too traumatized to offer any help. Fawley
must figure out if the bad-tempered owner of the house, suffering from
dementia, is responsible or if there was another way the victims could
have been imprisoned. The case reopens an older missing persons
investigation, a body is found buried in the back garden, and Fawley is
dealing with his own family issues. Opening line: She opens her eyes to a darkness as close as a blindfold.

Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce
(Grand Central, Feb. 19): Allison, a lawyer on the rise, is finally
given a murder case. She is to defend a woman who is accused of killing
her husband. One problem: the woman says she did it. Allison, though,
thinks there's more the case than meets the eye. Another problem or two:
Allison is drinking too much, is unfaithful to her husband, and is
neglecting her young daughter. What's worse, someone is threatening to
reveal all her secrets, which would dismantle her family and her career.
Which of these women will be saved, and who will do the saving? Opening line: The October sky lies gray above me and my wheelie bag's heavy but I wait for the bus and count my blessings.

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
(William Morrow, Feb. 19): A group of nine college friends, now in
their 30s, continue their tradition of getting together and staying
close. This year, they agree to a New Year's Eve trip to a cabin in the
Scottish Highlands. After all have arrived, winter descends with a
vengeance, snowing them in for the duration. With plenty of food and
drink, they're unconcerned, until one of the friends goes missing. This
is a classic closed-room mystery in which all the suspects claim to like
each other. But, wait! What about the gamekeeper and other locals, who
may be very comfortable wandering outside despite the storm? Opening line: I see a man coming through the falling snow.

The Syndicate by Guy Bolton
(Oneworld, Feb. 7): Erstwhile Hollywood fixer Jonathan Craine has given
up big-city life, living peacefully with his son in rural California
until he's given an offer he can't refuse from the LA mafia. In the
summer of 1947, mob leader Bugsy Siegel is found murdered in his Beverly
Hills home. Craine has five days to identify the killer or both he and
his son will be swimming with the fishes. Without access to police
records or crime scene data, Craine scrounges to find help, coming up
with an elderly hit man and a dubious female reporter. Period details
and the Mafia vibe add flavor to this thriller. Opening line: He parked the car half-way down Linden Drive and went the rest of the way on foot.

18 February 2019

I've
reached that point where cabin fever is starting to set in. The sleet
or ice or cold or snow has kept me cooped up inside and made me miss way
too many outdoor walks. It's driving me crazy!

We finally started the new season of True Detective. I like it but need to see a few more episodes before commenting. We finished the Netflix series You, which started out strong, but I was less enamored by the end. We also finally watched the movie Room,
which I liked. It's been too long since I read the book to make
detailed comparisons, but the young actor who played Jack did an
excellent job.

Here's what I read last week.

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
(Orbit, Feb. 26): I really liked this epic fantasy--told in a mix of
first and second person--about gods and humans, sons and fathers, how
power travels through the world. As other reviewers have noted, some of
the plot lines are similar to Hamlet (a young man returns from
war to find his father dead and his uncle on the throne), but much is
unique. The god Strength and Patience of the Hill has witnessed eons of
the world's history and the rise of humans. Through Strength's narration
we learn about the ancient gods, how they gain (and lose) power, where
that power lies, what they can (and cannot do), their relationships with
each other, and their complex connections with people. At the same
time, we are following the political and religious goings on in the
kingdom of Iraden. I was intrigued by Leckie's take on the world of the
gods, which is different from that of Roman and Greek mythology. In The Raven Tower
universe, gods must think carefully before they speak, because their
words have the power to change the world and to change their own fate. I
was also caught up in the court politics and how the paths of the gods
and the humans were intertwined. Don't miss this one. I listened to the
unabridged auidobook (Hachette Audio; 12 hr, 2 min) read by Adjoa Andoh,
who does a brilliant job conveying the emotional depth of Strength and
Patience of the Hill and the god's reactions to all it witnesses
throughout the millennia. (audiobook provided by the publisher)

Good Riddance by Elinor Lipman
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Feb. 5): In a fit of Kondo-inspired tidying
up, Daphne Maritch throws her late-mother's annotated high school
yearbook into the recycling bin. In 1968 in a small New Hampshire town,
Daphne's mom, June, was a teacher and the yearbook adviser; from that
time on, she never missed a reunion of that class, updating her copy of
the yearbook with the juicy tidbits of gossip and facts she learned each
year. After Daphne's documentary-filmmaker-wantabe neighbor retrieves
the yearbook, Maritch family secrets begin to leak out. This is a light,
fun contemporary story of a young woman trying to find her place in the
world and in New York. Her widowed father, snobby older sister, and
various apartment building neighbors have parts to play as Daphne learns
that her mother may not have been perfect and that her parents' loving
marriage may have had some cracks. Pop culture, humor, and desperate
acts keep the plot moving. Unfortunately one of the principal motivators
for the entire novel is based on genetics, and the author got those
genetics wrong. If I hadn't been listening to this book for a freelance
assignment, I would have quit right there. The non-geneticists among you
will enjoy this lighthearted novel. The unabridged audiobook
(Dreamscape; 8 hr, 7 min) was very nicely read by Mia Barron, whose
expressive performance brought out the humor and tapped into the
characters' emotional journeys. (audiobook provided for a freelance
assignment).

The River by Peter Heller
(Knopf, March 5): I love Peter Heller, and this novel was one of my
most anticipated books of the year. I was not disappointed, and The River
is now sitting pretty as the best book I've read in a long while. This
is the story of Wynn and Jack, both outdoorsy and from rural
backgrounds, who meet at college and become best friends. They spend as
much time as possible canoeing rivers, fly-fishing, and camping. They
have a natural and respectful interpersonal rhythm, and easily travel
and work together. While on a canoe trip in Canada, they notice the
signs of a not-so-distance forest fire and thus decide to make haste to
their take-out point. On that foggy morning they pass two other sets of
campers: a pair of drunken older men who mock the boys and a couple
camped on an island who can be heard arguing. From that point on the
trip takes a dark turn as the boys' safety seems to be jeopardized along
more than one front. I love how Heller conveys what it's like to be
on a wilderness river--the sights, sounds, work, conditions--and his
obvious passion for and knowledge of fly fishing shines. Heller is a
master at creating a creeping buildup of danger, holding it just out of
sight so you never quite know where and when or if it will manifest. I
was completely connected to Wynn and Jack and understood what moved
them, what made them who they were. Do not miss this one. (copy provided
for a freelance assignment)

Enchantee by Gita Trelease (Flatiron, Feb. 5): I already wrote about
this nicely done alternate history look at pre-revolutionary France and
the intrigues of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's court. Camille has
inherited the gift of magic from her mother and the printer's trade from
her father, but her apprenticeships are cut off when both parents die
from smallpox in the late 1780s. Her older brother fails to offer
Camille and their younger sister protection, leaving the girls on their
own in a Paris that isn't kind to the poor or to girls. Realizing she
must use whatever power she has, Camille dons her mother's enchanted
dress and infiltrates Versailles, hoping her magic will help her win at
cards and rise from poverty. The only trouble is that the magic of the
dress lasts only so long, life at court is much more complicated than
Camille is prepared for, and she is not the only magician in the palace.
In some ways Enchantee is a Cinderella retelling: through magic,
a poor girl is transformed, goes to court, and turns heads; but she
must leave before her disguise falls apart. I always like a fairy tale
retelling and enjoyed those aspects of Enchantee. I also liked
the historical facts and period details of Paris: the rumblings of
revolution, the storming of the Bastille, the attitudes of the rich, the
fashions of court, and the new technology of hot-air ballooning. There
were few surprises in Enchantee, but the ending was both exciting
and satisfying. I listened to the unabridged audiobook (Macmillian Audio, 12
hr, 56 min) read by Justine Erye, who is one of my go-to narrators. She
did an excellent job with the various accents and distinguishing among
the characters. (print copy provided by the publisher; audio copy
provided for a freelance assignment)

"Mercy" by Mandeliene Smith from Rutting Season
(Scribner, Feb. 12). This week's short story comes from a debut
collection. "Mercy" is set on a small family farm, where May is coping
with sudden widowhood and the stresses of being a single mother solely
in charge of keeping everything on track. The farm was her idea; her
husband was a lawyer who gamely agreed to keeping animals, especially
Pam's beloved horses. The emotional and dramatic aspects of the story
were strong but realistic, and I could sense just how hard it was for
Pam to move through her new reality while trying to present a strong and
upbeat front for her young children. I will be reading more from this
collection; the stories are billed as being about women and families on
the brink of transformation. (digital copy provided by the publisher)

16 February 2019

I'm one of those cooks who remembers the pre-internet days of trying to hunt down recipes with global flavors. If you didn't start putting together a massive cookbook collection, you simply wouldn't have access to Persian stews or Asian soups or Mideastern salads.

In the mid-1980s, Daniel Halpern and Julie Strand's The Good Food: A Cookbook of Soups, Stews, and Pastas (reissued by Ecco in January 2019) was a godsend, even if you had to go to a specialty market (or grow your own) to find fresh cilantro. In the 21st century, every imaginable recipe is available with the click of mouse or a tap on a screen, and even small towns like mine carry international ingredients at the general supermarket.

Despite the wonders of Pinterest, I found The Good Food to be full of appealing recipes for the kinds of meals I love--soups, stews, pastas, salads, and spreads. This book celebrates foods from around the world that say, Come into my kitchen. Sit at my table. Stay a while. It's just the kind of cookbook I bought in the 80s, and it's likely I even owned a copy (before my big cookbook purge of several years ago).

The recipes range from basic stocks to the more complex, and I'm truly drawn to many of the comforting dishes. The cookbook includes cold soups (curried zucchini) and hot soups (corn chowder), familiar stews (jambalaya) and new ones (saag gosht), and simple pastas (olive oil, garlic, and parsley) and fancy ones (poached salmon and creamy vinaigrette). Plus there's a chapter on accompaniments (chutneys, salads).

To be honest, if you're all about up-to-the-minute trends and a zillion fashion photos, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you're interested in classic, solid, stood-the-test-of-time recipes for the types of dinners that welcome home family and friends, then The Good Food is your cookbook. Be aware that Halpern and Strand do not shy away from cream and butter and have a heavy bent for meats, fish, and fowl.

None of that bothers me, and I'm glad to have a digital copy (thanks to Ecco) in my collection. The following simple pasta dish is on deck for this coming week.

Baked Fusilli with Cheese Parsley, and Scallions
Serves 8A variation on the classic American macaroni and cheese, this make a fine Sunday night supper when followed by a green salad. We prefer the texture of the fusilli, and it catches the bits of parsley, scallion, and cheese.

Salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound fusilli

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/3 cup minced scallions, with 1 inch of the green

Pinch cayenne

1 1/2 pounds white cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 tablespoon butter

In a kettle, bring 5 quarts water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt and the vegetable oil. Add the fusilli, stir, and cook until not quite al dente. Drain thoroughly.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly and then stir in the milk. Add the parsley, scallions, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the fusilli and toss. Fold in the cheddar.

With 1/2 tablespoon of the butter, coat a shallow rectangular baking dish, about 14 x 9 x 2 inches. Spoon the fusilli mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan and the bread crumbs over the top and dot with the remaining butter.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the top is browned and the fusilli is bubbling, about 30 minutes.

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International Freebie!

If you'd like a PDF copy of the cookbook that accompanies Crystal King's The Chef's Secret (see my post from Monday), either comment on this post or linkup your own foodie post and then fill out this form.Everyone who provides his or her email after commenting or participating will get a copy. Fun fact: I adapted one of my grandmother's recipes for the book!

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15 February 2019

Do you think all young adult fiction is fantasy? Sometimes it can feel that way, but in truth young readers are very much interested in contemporary issues, mystery, and even some romance. Today's round-up offers suggestions to please more down-to-earth readers, of any age. Don't be put off by the audience; you just might find a beloved book or author among the titles originally written for youthful readers. Harry Potter, anyone?

Give Me Thrills and Chills

A Danger to Herself and Others by Alyssa Sheinmel (Sourcebooks Fire, Feb. 5): Hannah doesn't want to spend her senior year under psychological observation and confinement. She insists she had nothing to do with her BFF's accidental fall from a high window. No one believes Hannah, until she gets a roommate at the mental institution. At first Hannah's circumstances improve, but soon her perception of reality seems to unravel, and she wonders who she can trust. Themes: friendship, mental health.

Following by Jeffry W. Johnston (Sourcebooks Fire, Feb. 5): Alden wants to be an investigator and often practices by tailing his classmates and making observations. Alden thinks what he's doing is harmless, until he witnesses a boy murder his girlfriend--but then the girl shows up again a few days later. What did Alden really see and who will believe him? Themes: telling the truth, loss, parenting, friendship.

Contemporary Life

Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner (Crown BYR, Feb. 26): Best friends Josie and Delia make the most of their out-of-school hours by hosting a Friday-night local cable TV show that features horror movies and fright-night fun. As graduation from high schools nears, Josie is hoping to pursue a career in television, while Delia is left with many fewer choices. When they see a chance to take their show to a wider audience, they jump on it, but will the end of their road trip fulfill their dreams? Themes: friendship, family, depression, socioeconomic issues, dreams.

No One Here Is Lonely by Sarah Everett (Knopf BYR, Feb. 5): Summer after senior year, Eden finds herself at loose ends. Her best friend has drifted onto her own path, the boy she was crushing on died in a car accident a few weeks earlier, and her siblings seem so self-assured. Eden withdraws into herself, pretending life hasn't changed, but as summer progresses will she be able to resist the call of new possibilities? Themes: friendship, grief, finding one's self, maturing

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About Me

I'm a freelance book editor, reviewer, and journalist blogging as Beth Fish. On these pages, you'll find book reviews, book features, and other bookish content. I like to spotlight my favorite imprints and I'm a long-time audiobook lover. (I was the Audio Publishers Association's 2016 Audiobook Blogger of the Year!) Each Saturday I host my popular Weekend Cooking feature. Don't forget to look for my weekly photograph. You can find me on social media as @BethFishReads. Publicists, publishers, authors: please see my review policy. NB: I did not work on any book mentioned on this site.

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